Amazing Next competition!

I discovered the other day that Next is currently hosting a competition on this lovely blog called Glitz & Grime and of course I had to enter!

You can win £500 worth of Next clothes – a whole new summer wardrobe!

If I had that £500 of Next vouchers in my hand right now I would spend it on some lovely clothes that I could impress the capital of fashion with – Paris! 

Yes, I am going to wonderful Paris in no more than 11 days, and while walking on the streets of this city I want to look sophisticated and chic – like a real Parisian lady.

I would invest in something trendy enough to wear amongst all the fashionistas on the famous shopping street Champs Élysées, but it would still have to be sophisticated enough to wear in the Louvre, and at the same time it needs to be an outfit that is casual enough to wear while spending time in the park while enjoying a view the Eiffel Tower.

I have browsed Next’s new Summer collections, and I have come up with 2 different styles I would have invested in for my Paris trip if I had those £500 in my hand right now. My first style screams Paris; the typical blue and red, the stripes, the block colours… Very retro.

 Parisian style

Boobtube

Low Wedge Peep Toe Sandals

G-Star Arc Red Super Skinny Leg Jeans

Colour Block Bag

 My second outfit is a more romantic style that I would have loved to wear in the cafés of Paris while drinking a café au lait and munching on some croissants. A romantic dress for a romantic time. I actually fell in love with this dress the second I saw it, and since the dress has such a bold pattern I thought it would go great with some more neutral accessories of natural materials.

Street chic

Woven Midi Sundress

Natural Crochet Tassel Across Body Bag

Get The Look Wedges

Statement Necklace

Pretty Nude Rimless Sunglasses

 

I love both of these outfits, but perhaps you have a favourite? Tell me which one J And also, don’t forget to enter the Next competition on Glitz & Grime if you want the chance to win a new summer wardrobe.

Current Shoe Trends in the World of Fashion

Celebrities and fashion gurus alike are united in their lust for beautiful shoes. The perfect shoe is not only a work of art in its own rights; it's the perfect way to finish off any outfit. Check out the five new footwear trends sweeping the catwalk and storming the red carpet this year.

The Chunky Platform
Although high heels have been around for an eternity and could be classed as the staple of ladies shoes, it's only recently that designers have begun looking at the sole of the shoe as a basis for experimentation. Platform heels are no longer relegated to the eighties; they've come back with a vengeance. With a quirky modern twist, however, the platform portion of the shoe has become an area for experimentation - and pushing limits. From the bulging convex style recently worn by a famous female pop singer in a music video, to the asymmetric sky-high soles loved by the Kardashians; the chunky platform is here to stay.

The Wedge
The ultimate in summer shoe fashion, the wedge is unique in that it can embody flirtatiousness, style, and fun. For the perfect August footwear, a wedge with a straw heel and a patterned canvas body can be paired with a cute pair of denim shorts and a halter neck top. They're also the perfect holiday shoe, worn to finish off a summer dress. A more elegant design might include a leather design with metallic shades of gold and bronze.

Animal Print
This fierce footwear trend has rocketed in popularity over the past two summers, and isn't slowing down now! Go wild with cheetah or leopard print if you're wearing a tan or camel shade - if vibrant colour is more your style, there's also zebra print or snakeskin available. They don't even have to come in the traditional realistic shades: electric blue, purple and hot pink animal designs have been spotted on celebrity feet this year so far.
 

Decorated Heels 
No longer are the heels of shoes just meant to support the height of the shoe! Now, they're a fashion statement in their own right. Designers are racing to compete with each other, trying to create the zaniest designs. Current fashion trends include metallic studs embedded down the length of the heel; heels entirely made up of a curving twist of gleaming metal; heels created from translucent plastic with liquid or beads hidden inside. An interesting and unique heel design can easily become the focus of a fashionable summer shoe. You can find hidden bejewelled treasures in smaller boutique style shoe shops or get to the local arts and crafts shop and make your own creations!

 

Go Blue for Max Cool
Blue is easily the shade to be seen in on the red carpet! Not only on the bodies of celebrities or fashion icons, but on their footwear as well. There's a shade of blue that suits everybody; from the powder blue that flatters pale skin, to the deep navy that contrasts so well with tan tones. Blue shoes can come in a variety of materials, the most popular being suede, patent leather and blue-coloured snakeskin. 

Would you go to work in your pyjama shirt?

My boyfriend wanted to go shopping on Saturday. My boyfriend…!? Shopping!?

I was shocked! He goes shopping approximately twice a year, and when he does he usually updates his whole wardrobe at once.

But then I found out… it was the big boss who had requested from him to invest in some new work shirts, cause apparently his current ones were too “casual”. Pfft…!

Anyway, do you know what the men who work in offices here in England wear? Their so called “office shirts” look just like pyjama shirts! Stripy or checked, with silly colours such as baby blue, lilac purple or pink! I’m sorry, but that’s not very attractive at all. They might as well just go to work in their pyjamas then! Haha! :P

Anyway, I did of course agree to come help him choose some work shirts, and I made sure he went for the least ugly ones. Not like the horrible baby coloured ones in the picture! In the end he chose a black one, a white one, a dark blue checked one, and an all purple one. They’re far from amazing, but they’re alright. At least he won’t look like the other men in the office, who seem to be big fans of the pyjama style.

I did some shopping for myself as well, of course ;) Nothing exciting though, but just some basic stuff.

I found a nice “poofy” black skirt from H&M, a tight greyish t-shirt dress from H&M as well, and a pair of lace ballerina shoes from NewLook.

My latest purchases by fashioninfatuation featuring short dresses

Tick tock tick tock...

Am I right when I'm saying that all of us girls have got one or a few favourite pieces of jewellery? Something that you find you are wearing with pretty much anything? I know I have... I have 2 actually. 2 lovely necklaces. One is an antique silver necklace with a long chain and a drop shaped pendant with a blue stone - I used to call it my "Titanic necklace" (yes, I used to be obsessed with the film Titanic when it came out and I was about 12) I actually wrote a post about this particular necklace a while ago which you can in my post about antique jewellery.

The other favourite necklace of mine is a new addition. It was a present from my mum that I got for Christmas. The necklace is not fancy in any way, but it's just so pretty, and I love it! I've got a thing for vintage things - jewellery especially - and even if this necklace is not actually vintage, it has got a vintage feel to it. I think it's really charming the fact that it's like an old pocket watch, and it reminds me of my dear old grandpa (who's now bouncing around on the clouds somewhere)

Do you have any favourite pieces of jewellery, and if so - what is it, and why is it your favourite?

A new, fresh blog design

Bye bye old blog design. I'm tired of you now!

Let's welcome my new, more simple design. I thought a lighter design would be more suitable for the lighter and warmer seasons. I've just created a new header, and a new blogger button (which you can find in my sidebar - please feel free to use it)

What do you think? Is simple better, or should I stick to more colours?

Printed dresses and playsuits for summer

It’s official - summer is nearly here! And with summer comes my favourite kind of fashion; printed dresses and playsuits. Prints have been witnessed all over the Spring/Summer ’12 catwalks, so whether you’re after something a little bit loud and crazy or subtle and understated there is definitely something on the high street for you this summer. Here’s a breakdown of my favourite prints for summer 2012.

Novelty prints

I first fell in love with novelty prints after seeing Prada’s cartoon Cadillac print, and since then I’ve seen lots of novelty prints online.  My favourite has to be the Boston Dog print dress from Brat & Suzie as it’s fun and a little bit quirky.

However, for something a little less in your face I like the Lipstick playsuit from Vero Moda.

Floral Prints

Florals are a summer time classic. No summer wardrobe would be complete without at least one floral piece. I love this ditzy floral playsuit by Vila Clothes - it would look great paired with subtle girly accessories and a tan!

Animal Prints

Forget about the usual animal prints like leopard and zebra for summer. This season it’s all about the bird print. There are many variations of this trend but for summer I particularly like the vintage inspired pigeon print dress from 18 and East.

So, out of these fantastic prints which one will you be wearing this summer?

Review: Spring clothes from Zalando

I don't often do online shopping, except for on very rare occasions. And when I do, I need to know that the website I'm buying from has good quality clothes, and free returns - just in case the item I ordered doesn't fit! There's just something special about actually walking around in town for a day trying clothes on, but on some days you just can't be bothered! 

One online shop I actually buy from is Zalando. I have done some Zalando online shopping quite a few times before and I know that they have some really nice big brands on their website, and saying that there is a lot to choose from in their range of clothes is an understatement. Many first-time Zalando shoppers actually get a bit overwhelmed by the impressive choice on the website, but it’s actually not difficult at all to find your way through the Zalando jungle. The website has a great filtering system that lets you choose brand, item, size, colour and even price… so you can easily find what you’re looking for!

My choice of Spring fashion from Zalando was a mustardy yellow Anna Field jersey dress (£22), and a green Vero Moda cardigan (£19.95). I’m not usually a very colourful person, except for in the summer, but I decided to go for something different this time instead of my usual style of dark and earthy hues. Don’t you think that yellow and green are very lovely and Springy colours? It’s a bit of a miss-match with green and yellow, but I like it! I think this yellow dress is my new favourite, and I’m sure I’ll be wearing it lots in the future. 

The good thing about the dress is that you can wear it all year around.
For a Spring look; simply add a cardigan and some pretty shoes like in the photos below.
For a Summer look; wear the dress on its own, with some strappy heeled sandals.
For an Autumn look; add a pair of leggings, ankle boots, and a leather jacket.
For a Winter look; go for a pair of really thick tights, a cardigan, a nice scarf, and knee-high boots (and a winter jacket, of course!). 

How would you wear this dress for Spring?